Article Contributed on: 6/8/2009 12:07:42 PM
Just a short distance away from Highland Ranch's suburban subdivisions and shopping centers is a wild, untouched wilderness area that is now owned by the Highlands Ranch Community Association.
On June 6, Shea Homes conveyed the Highland Ranch Backcountry Wilderness Area to the HRCA.
"This land is first-class open space," said Gary Debus, community manager for the HRCA.
In 1988, Shea Homes made an agreement with the Douglas County commissioners to convey the backcountry area to the HRCA when Highlands Ranch was 98 percent built out, a recent milestone, Debus said.
Shea Homes conveyed 874 acres of the land to the HRCA in 2006 and since then, 6.5 miles of trails have been built: the Wildcat Mountain Trail System and the Rocky Gulch Trail.
Now that it owns the rest of the backcountry area, the HRCA plans to built another 5 to 6 miles of natural surface trails on the land south and west of Mountain Vista High School, Debus said.
The wilderness area is 8,200 acres or about 12 1/2 square miles of conserved open space, which is 37 percent the total area of Highlands Ranch, Debus said. The area is larger than Chatfield State Park or Cherry Creek State Park.
The backcountry wilderness is located in southern Highlands Ranch adjacent to Daniels Park and Cherokee Ranch.
The area will continue to be a working cattle ranch as it has been for more than 100 years. It also is home to wildlife such as elk, mule deer, mountain lions and bobcats, as well as owls and eagles, Debus said.
In order to keep the wildlife and vegetation as natural as possible, parts of the more senistive backcountry areas will only be accessible during guided tours. The HRCA currently offers horseback rides through Wildcat Mountain.
"I think the backcountry wilderness gives the community another reason that Highlands Ranch is a great place to live, work and play," Debus said.
Getting There
The Wildcat Mountain Trail System is located east of Monarch Boulevard. Parking is available on Monarch Blvd., about 1.5 miles south of McArthur Ranch Road. It can also be accessed from the Douglas County East-West Regional Trail that begins at Rocky Heights Middle School (McArthur Ranch Road and Monarch Blvd). The trail is made up of two loops and one out and back trail totaling approximately 5 miles.
The Rocky Gulch Trail is located west of Grigs Road and accessed from the Metro District's West Fork of the Big Dry Creek Trail and/or the Douglas County East-West Regional Trail. Parking is available at the Douglas County trailhead on Grigs Road or at Mountain Vista High School. The Rocky Gulch Trail is approximately 1.3 miles long.
For more information, go to
www.hrcaonline.org.